Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its amazing characters.
Warning: AU and Non-Massacre, a dorky Itachi and I'm following Izumi's character from the Itachi Shinden novels; not the cheap filler episodes that Studio Pierrot made.
Dedication to: The darling KHB123 check out her story Forever My Heart, lots of ItaIzu fluff!
Odd Girl
Every day was the same routine for Itachi Uchiha. He'd wake up at the crack of dawn to shower and eat breakfast; then go outside and train with Shisui, then put on his ANBU captain uniform, and then report to Lord Kakashi's Hokage tower for a mission or assignment as captain. If he wouldn't be sent on month long missions he would return home deadbeat, and he would be forced by his little brother Sasuke to spar with him. Ever since the Sage of the Six Paths gave Sasuke Indra's chakra it was blatantly obvious that Sasuke is now the strongest Uchiha, but Sasuke's excuse was, "Hey, think of this as payback of you keep on tapping my forehead, and running off to work." Sasuke, ever so talented at guilt tripping him; at then Itachi would just give in.
Honestly, Itachi sees no reason why the clan elders were pressuring him to get married, despite him being only 25 years old! But that was beside the point, it's not that Itachi doesn't want to settle down and have a family of his own; it's the obnoxious clanswomen who were acting as attention seekers. He did actually have one girl in mind. She was a childhood friend of his; probably the only female he chose to interact with in his age group; she is none other than the half-blood Izumi Uchiha.
If there is one thing Sasuke beat Itachi in, is getting a girl before him; and not just any girl, she was Haruno Sakura, the apprentice of the fifth Hokage and of the legendary Sannin; Lady Tsunade Senju. Not only she surpassed her in getting the yin seal, but she also established a mental clinic for all the people who are suffering from PTSD and other mental casualties from the war; and she still works hard to expand it. Itachi had to admit that Sasuke had very good taste.
The problem with Itachi is that he just didn't know how to approach Izumi ever since he hit puberty, because he would just turn into a red tomato at the sight of her. Yes Izumi may not have an exotic color scheme like his future sister-in-law but, that didn't mean she does not have her own fair share of beauty. For instance the black beauty mark underneath her right eye, her big beautiful black eyes, her silky black hair, but most of all her charming smile. Just thinking about her physical attributes at the dinner table while eating dinner with his parents is making him want to bury his face in his hands to save himself from Sasuke and his mother's teasing.
"Itachi, sweetie." His mother interrupts him from his musings, and he lifts his head up to look at her.
"Hai, Kaasan."
"Next week as you know, is going to be Sasuke and Sakura-chan's engagement party at our compound. When will we be throwing yours?" Mikoto slyly asks her now flustered son.
"Um, well there actually is a girl I like, but I don't know if she still likes me- I mean, I'm not assuming, wait, what I mean is-" Itachi begins to sweat profusely as he talks about Izumi.
"It's Izumi." Sasuke deadpans, causing the rest three at the dinner table to sweatdrop on Sasuke's bluntness, but Itachi can almost note a subtle smirk twitching on his lips.
And that earned him two additional smirks to his direction from his mother and surprisingly from his usual stoic father.
X
X
Later that night, after Itachi and Sasuke do their routinely brotherly sparring, Itachi sits underneath the night stars replaying the dinner episode he went through. Was his infatuation that obvious? His sulking was interrupted when he heard two familiar voices laughing and teasing each other, one male and the other female.
"What's the matter Shisui-nii? Already tired? Is being 28 too much for you?" Izumi playfully taunts her's and Itachi's big-brother figure.
"Don't get too cocky Izumi-chan." Shisui gets up from the ground seemingly exhausted, but soon disappears as a flock of crows flying away.
On impulse Izumi activates her complete sharingan, and just se Shisui predicts her forming the signature hand signs for the fireball jutsu, takes holds of her hands.
"That's enough of today's training, you need to go home and rest, for tomorrow's mission."
'Izumi has a mission? How come I just found out now?' If there is one thing Itachi always knew was what missions Izumi would go on. He was never even this protective of Sasuke's missions, but Izumi always made him feel different.
"I guess you're right Shisui-nii, I just hope I can make it back on time for Sasuke-chan's engagement party. I really want to see his reaction when he opens the presents I got for him and Sakura-chan!"
Time for Itachi to take a trip to the Hokage's office; he's going to have a word or two with his ex ANBU comrade.
"What is her mission?" Itachi asks in a tone that could even make his elder clansmen shiver, but the Sixth just sat on his chair giving him a look of pure boredom.
"Now, now why would I ever tell you that?" Kakashi tests the waters of the situation.
"Kakashi-senpai."
"She's going on a solo A-rank mission." Is all he tells the Uchiha.
"A solo A-rank mission? How could you even think-?"
"Need I remind you she's a Jonin level ninja, and doesn't faint anymore from using the sharingan like you used to tell me, when we were both working together in ANBU? If I recall you'd never stop staring at her when we'd pass by her at the training grounds." Kakashi slyly tells him as a smirk forms under his mask.
Without giving Kakashi the satisfaction of seeing him go scarlet, he abruptly leaves the office and goes home, dreaming about going on dango dates by the riverside with Izumi.
***X***
That's all for now folks! Please review ^_^
OXOXO
~ walkingspring